Did you know you can make CHEESECAKE in the INSTANT POT?!?! Break out the Instant Pot and secure the pressure release. We’re heading to cheesecake heaven with this Instant Pot Salted Caramel Cheesecake!

Made right in the Instant Pot (or electric pressure cooker), this cheesecake is sure to wow everyone with its beauty and favors.

This decadent sweet and salty dessert is built layer upon layer! A wonderful layer of sweetened pretzel crust holds this amazing dessert apart. A perfect accent to the dense rich classic vanilla cheesecake and indulgent soft caramel. To top it off, a sprinkle of coarse sea salt for added contrast and crunch.

WHY SHOULD THE CHEESECAKE INGREDIENTS BE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE BEFORE MIXING?

Cheesecake is a smooth, creamy, dense dessert. If the ingredients you’re using to make the filling are cold, they will make the cheesecake lumpy. It would still taste good but you will lose the smooth texture a great cheesecake should have. With this cheesecake, the 3 main ingredients you’ll want to pull out of the fridge a couple hours before are the:

cream cheese

sour cream

eggs

If these 3 ingredients are room temperature when you mix them, they will blend together nicely and give you a smooth, silky cheesecake batter. Your salted caramel cheesecake will turn out wonderfully.

PRO TIP: Make sure the ingredients come to room temperature on their own. If you decide you don’t have time to wait, place your cream cheese in warm water. Don’t microwave it. Microwaving cream cheese creates hot spots and can actually make your batter even lumpier.

If I OVERMIX THE SALTED CARAMEL CHEESECAKE BATTER?

This salted caramel cheesecake is meant to be dense, rich and creamy. Over mixing the batter will incorporate additional (unwanted) air bubbles into the batter. The batter will be very thick before baking which makes it almost impossible for trapped air bubbles to escape. Air bubbles create a lighter cheesecake… but with this cheesecake, that’s not what we’re going for. If you happen to over mix the batter, you can tap it on the counter before or after pouring it into the pan. The more you tap the more air bubbles you’ll be able to release.

Once you’ve poured the batter into the 7-inch springform pan, you can also gently scrape the top half inch to inch with a fork. This will also help remove air bubbles.

If you over mix the batter and don’t tap the bubbles out, it’ll still taste great, it just won’t be as dense.

DO I HAVE TO MAKE THIS SALTED CARAMEL CHEESECAKE IN THE INSTANT POT?

This recipe is designed to cook in an electric pressure cooker. This recipe could be baked in the oven but the bake time would have to be altered. You can use any brand of electric pressure cooker. Results should be fairly similar when compared to cooking this cheesecake in a 6 quart Instant Pot.

If you venture to oven bake this cheesecake, I’d love to hear about it. Shoot me an email or drop me a comment. 🙂

AFTER COOKING, THERE’S LIQUID ON TOP OF MY CHEESECAKE. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

This is normal. There will be a small amount of liquid that will form around the rim of the cheesecake. You will need to take a clean paper towel and gently dab the extra moisture and water off the top and around the rim of the pan.

When the timer beeps on the Instant Pot immediately turn the pressure cooker off or unplug it (if left alone it will automatically switch to “warm” and will depressurize much slower). Allow the cooker to depressurize naturally after turning it off. It usually takes about 15-20 minutes. Once it’s naturally released carefully remove the lid to avoid dropping any additional moisture on to the top of the cheesecake. Then, using a paper towel, dab any moisture off the cheesecake that may have collected after opening the lid.

Make sure you don’t press too hard and damage the surface. If you puncture the surface, this can create a weak spot and as the cheesecake cools, it may crack.

WHAT CARAMEL SHOULD I USE FOR THIS SALTED CARAMEL CHEESECAKE?

My all-time favorite caramel recipe is this easy soft caramel. You can find the recipe HERE.

If you make this caramel recipe, you will have extra caramel. You only need about a 1/2 cup of caramel for this salted caramel cheesecake. This caramel recipe is pretty quick to whip up and fairly inexpensive. It’s so EASY if you just follow the directions.

This last December, I helped make over 450 gourmet caramel apples using this caramel recipe. I can honestly say I’ve made this caramel recipe dozens of times and it really is the best recipe for homemade soft caramel I’ve had!

You can also use store-bought caramel squares for this recipe. You’ll need about 14-15 squares plus about 1 tablespoon of heavy cream to help the caramel be a little softer. You can place the unwrapped caramel squares and cream in a deep microwave-safe bowl. Heat it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds at a time, stirring in between until the caramel and cream are fully blended together. You’ll want to let it cool before adding it to the cheesecake.

CAN I USE TABLE SALT INSTEAD OF SEA SALT TO SPRINKLE ON TOP OF THIS INSTANT POT SALTED CARAMEL CHEESECAKE?

I wouldn’t recommend sprinkling table salt onto of this cheesecake. If you don’t have sea salt, you can use coarse ground pink Himalayan salt or omit the salt on the top. Often times table salt is iodized which changes the flavor. For this salted caramel cheesecake, you’ll want a “lighter” tasting salt such as sea salt. You can use coarse ground or flakes of sea salt. If you only have finely ground sea salt, that will work too. I just think the coarse ground looks beautiful and gives a crunchy texture to the cheesecake.